Stories - Page 121

Jan. 19, 2017

Staying Fresh

Nutritionally, nothing is different when red meat, say ground beef for instance, darkens to brown, but try telling that to the average customer at a grocery store. “That’s the number one driver that consumers have,” said Carol Lorenzen about the bright redness quality of meat. A research team involving that included Lorenzen, professor of meat science in the Division of Animal Sciences, and her graduate student, Jade Cooper, have been investigating the impact of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting on beef color. The team published a research paper in the October 2016 issue of the Journal of Animal Science that…

Dec. 9, 2016

Measuring the Impact of Fundamental Change

The agricultural production revolution is here. Biotechnology, robotics and automation; big data and precision agriculture; genetic-based chemistry and other digital innovations are changing the ways and rules of the agriculture industry. Never before have farmers and food producers had more access to more data points that can provide newfound insight on how to grow and produce crops with greater efficacy. Through a multitude of sensors, for instance, farmers can have instant access to field data on plant genetics and growth, soil conditions, disease and pest pressures, atmospheric temperature and humidity levels as well as modern analytics on how to respond.

Dec. 1, 2016

A Man for All Seasons

CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean has never been afraid to show his personality. Photos by L.G. Patterson. Everyone knows about the smiley face. It is part of the brand of Vice Chancellor and Dean Tom Payne. Looking at all of the related memorabilia in his office, one can see how the symbol has become synonymous with his infectious optimism and enthusiasm he has used over the past 18 years to help guide the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources through good times and bad. “I wanted to add a little more emphasis and so I wrote my name ‘Tom’ and…

Nov. 18, 2016

‘A Daughter of CAFNR’

The Columbia home of Robin Wenneker contains several pieces of memorabilia that help tell the story of both her childhood and her family’s deep connection to the University of Missouri. Yet out of all of the scrapbooks, photos and artwork, it is a piece of cardboard that she claims as one of her most prized possessions. The cardboard piece, encased in a glassed-in frame, contains a short note from her father, Ron Wenneker, when she was in middle school. In a pre-cell phone/texting world, Ron would always leave notes for Robin, her mother, Carolyn; and her brother, Ryan. It was…

Oct. 12, 2016

All in the Family

Everything in John Clay’s office has a story. In one corner, there’s the dictionary that dates back to 1934 that was used primarily for Scrabble word challenges by his great aunts and uncles. “It looked this new when I was a baby,” Clay quips of the giant book that rests on a stand that was once in the foyer of his family’s former homestead, built in 1892 by his great grandfather, John Moore Clay, and known as “El Moro.” The house accidentally burned down in recent years. John Clay stands with his family’s crest outside of his office at Clay…

Sep. 1, 2016

Looking Back 40 Years — And Beyond

It began 40 years ago with what could best be called a “grand experiment.” For decades, faculty at the University of Missouri’s Department of Biochemistry had one collective goal — to study life at the molecular level — but were in two separate units, one housed in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources under the name agricultural chemistry and one in the School of Medicine under its current name. It is about a 15-minute walk from Schweitzer Hall, located on the northeast corner of campus, to the medical school. The first merged department chair, Jim Gaylor, had the cross-campus walk…